|
GONZALEZ TO PLAY IN LA TENNIS OPEN
PRESENTED BY FARMERS INSURANCE
French Open Semifinalist Headlines Early Entrants Baghdatis, Fish,
Querrey, Safin and Stepanek Also Coming to LA
LOS ANGELES - French Open semifinalist Fernando Gonzalez
headlines a group of early entrants into the LA Tennis Open Presented by
Farmers Insurance that will begin July 27. Two-time Grand Slam winner
Marat Safin, 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, 2007 LA
Tennis Open champion Radek Stepanek and Americans Mardy Fish and Sam
Querrey are also expected to be in the 28-player field at the 83rd
annual tournament.
"We're looking forward to the LA Tennis Open Presented by Farmers
Insurance this summer and welcoming this distinguished group of
experienced international stars," Tournament Director Bob Kramer said.
"These players who have already committed to the tournament have done
very well in their careers on some of the sport's biggest stages. We're
eager to see how Fernando fares in Paris this week, and are excited
he'll be among this great group of players here in July."
Gonzalez, the 2007 Australian Open finalist, is likely to move into the
top 10 following his ongoing run to the French Open semifinals. The
Chilean took out World No. 3 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and will
face Robin Soderling in semifinals on Friday in Paris. Gonzalez, a
three-time Olympic medalist, claimed a title earlier this year in his
home nation at Vina del Mar. He's 3-2 in LA, having reached the 2006
semifinals.
Safin, the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion, will not only
be playing the main draw of the LA Tennis Open Presented by Farmers
Insurance, but will be showcased in a special opening night "Millennium
Challenge" match against Pete Sampras. That will be a rematch of the
2000 US Open final. A former World No. 1, Safin will be making his sixth
appearance in LA, having gone 6-5 with two quarterfinals in his previous
efforts.
Stepanek won the 2007 LA Tennis Open. In 2009, he's claimed titles in
Brisbane and San Jose while also reaching the final in Memphis. He is
24-10 in 2009, and boasts a ranking of No. 19. He's 4-0 in his career in
LA, with 2007 being his only previous appearance.
Baghdatis climbed into the Top 10 after reaching the 2006 Australian
Open final. The Cyprus native reached the Round of 16 in Melbourne this
year and has two other quarterfinals in 2009. He'll be making just his
second career appearance in LA.
Fish, an LA Tennis Open semifinalist in 2008, won Delray Beach and
reached the finals in San Jose during February this year. At No. 24 in
the rankings, he's within seven spots of his career of No. 17. A part
time LA resident with his new wife, Stacey, Fish is 6-4 in his career at
the LA Tennis Center.
Querrey, who graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in 2006 and now
lives in Santa Monica, is the youngest of the early entrants. The
21-year-reached the finals in Auckland earlier this year and claimed his
first career ATP title last spring in Las Vegas. He is 1-2 in his
previous appearances in LA.
ABOUT THE LA TENNIS OPEN PRESENTED BY FARMERS INSURANCE
The LA Tennis Open Presented by Farmers Insurance has been played
every year since 1927, making it the longest-running annual professional
sporting event in Los Angeles. Played since 1984 at the LA Tennis Center
on the campus of UCLA, the tournament is part of the Olympus US Open
Series, the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 ATP World Tour and
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour events to the US Open that in 2008 drew a record
of more than 50 million television viewers. Proceeds from the LA Tennis
Open benefit the grassroots programs of the non-profit Southern
California Tennis Association (SCTA) and UCLA. The SCTA offers programs,
leagues, and tournaments involving 300,000 juniors and 50,000 adults and
seniors. Information on tickets and the tournament can be found at
www.LATennisOpen.com or by calling 310-824-1010.
CONTACTS:
Pete Holtermann: HolterMedia@gmail.com or 310-990-0805
Bob Kramer: bobk@scta.usta.com or 310-824-1010, ext 230 |
